


Fairy Tail's Mages of Sin

by Crimson_the_Author



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mashima Hiro's Fairy Tail Setting, Angst, Combat, Dragons, Fantasy, Gen, Guilds, Mages, Magic, Manga & Anime, Seven Deadly Sins, Sinners, fairy tail - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimson_the_Author/pseuds/Crimson_the_Author
Summary: There are all kinds of guilds in Fiore, legal guilds, dark guilds, independent guilds. Guilds that seek fame and glory, guilds that seek wealth and power, guilds that seek to cause pain and suffering, and guilds that seek to destroy. All of these guilds share something in common, they love their guild, regardless of what it stands for. And this small, independent guild, a guild with enough mages you can count them using both hands, is no different. A guild made out of 7 misfits, 7 that do not belong anywhere else in society, that don't fit in anywhere else but their small guild. A guild if 7 sinners that will show Fiore exactly what they are made of.This is the story of 7 sinners working together as a guild to fight for what is right, even if they have to do it alone. And the story of a proud and arrogant Dragon Slayer that must also learn what it is to be in a guild. But just because the guild is small does not mean it is free of troubles. It too will have to face grave threats that could bring all of Fiore to its knees!





	1. The Seventh Member

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I bet some of you are reading the title and saying "hey, this sounds familiar?" And that is because this is a reupload of my old Mages of Sin fanfic. It had been a long time since I last worked on a chapter, a year and a half to be exact. And after some consideration I thought it was time to continue, but, I felt it needed a big overhaul. Enough that it merit deleted it and restarting it. Some things that I felt did not work or were too ambitious will be changed, while others were kept but improved upon.
> 
> There were around 11 chapters here, but everything after chapter 7 was deleted, I felt it was too ambitious. Instead the fanfic will have a new main story. The first 7 chapters will be reuploaded in time, with new improvements and some retcons. I hope you enjoy it!

“I wanted to avoid combat, you know. But you won’t listen to any other way,” the twenty five year old young man said as he lowered his weapon. “Seems I need to bring you down a notch, slayer.”

What the hell was happening? Was it really happening? Was he on his knees? Why was he struggling so much to hurt his opponent?

All those questions bombarded the mind of Zane Darkfang, the Dark Flame Dragon Slayer. It was not the first time he fought a much stronger opponent, but this was so much different. He was too outclassed. “Damn it,” Zane seethed with anger.

“Where did the confidence from a minute ago go?” The man asked. “I even dropped my magic-cancelling axe to give you some leverage. Since you were so angry that I was cancelling that Dragon Slaying Magic you seem so proud of.”

“Screw you! I don’t need you to take pity on me. I can kick your butt even if you are using that damn axe. Pick it up and let me show you what I am made of.”

“Now there is that unshakable pride Dragon Slayers seem to have. But pride is meaningless when it’s backed by just words and no action,” he picked the darksteel axe up. It was massive, it was longer than Zane’s entire body length. “Is that all you have? Or maybe you realized you are out of your league?”

“Like hell I did!” Zane stood up, wasting not a second in doing so, “don’t you talk about my pride. What can you know about pride? I’m one of the few people lucky to have not just seen a dragon but be raised by one. You think you can trample all over that? You think you can humiliate me?” Zane jumped as he ignited his right fist, “eat this!”

The man just smiled. He used his long axe to block the attack, the punch struck the axe’s unenchanted shaft instead. But Zane’s body began to turn into fire and then it vanished. “A fire dummy?”

“Gotcha!” The slayer came out from above him, diving down with a kick ready, his foot wrapped in pitch black flames.

But Zane’s enemy seemed unfazed by his action. He quickly turned around to block the attack, but he used the iron bracer on his right arm. “Hmph, I guess it is all you have,” he said before swinging his massive axe, striking the Dragon Slayer on his right shoulder. Breaking it.

Zane hissed from the pain, his right arm was hanging loose. As fierce as the slayer saw himself, and as destructive as his magic was, his body was nothing much to brag about. It was the body of a not fully developed sixteen year old teen. “Damn it. Who the hell cares. Just one arm,” not a complete developed mind either.

“You are confident, kid. I will give you that. But sometimes confidence does not translate into strength. Just admit you bit more than you can chew, and let me talk to you. That’s all I wanted before you pounce at me.”

“Like hell will I ever give up. I would rather die standing than admit defeat.”

The man sighed, “I really hate fighting those that don’t value their lives. But that is the exact reason why I am standing before you, Dragon Slayer.”

Zane inhaled a lot of oxygen, his stomach inflating. “Dark Flame Dragon’s Roar!” He fired a wide and intense fiery blast of black fire, burning everything it touched along its path.

But his foe took the attack head on, never trying to dodge, block or cancel. He had a few scratches and burns here and there, but nothing serious. The big change was the sudden tribal marks that covered his shirtless, lean body.

“Is he mocking me?” Zane asked himself. “Are you mocking me?!” He asked him. The slayer ignited his left fist and charged head on. When he got close he jumped and threw his flaming fist. But he wasn’t there anymore. He vanished? No, he’d just move at an incredible speed. “Impossible.”

“Thanks for the boost,” he said before punching Zane right on the stomach. The force of the punch was so overwhelming it reverberated throughout his small body.

In an instant the air abandoned his lungs. He dropped to the floor like a sack of flour, not able to move. That one punch had caused him more damage than all the previous attacks combined. “Who… the hell are you?”

“My name is Salem Shado,” he answered.

Zane was quiet for a few seconds, then he laughed like a madman, “Are you freaking kidding me? You are  _ the  _ Salem Shado?”

Salem raised an eyebrow failing to see the reason to laugh, “You’ve heard of me?”

“Of course. Half of the continent knows who you are,” Zane said. “You are one of the Wizard Saints! I never thought I would end up fighting a monster like you.” It was clear as day to him why he had lost with such humiliating ease.

“Are you done? Can you accept the fact that you can’t win?”

Instead of answering Zane tried to stand up, all while keeping a smug smile. The injuries to his body were severe, however, instead he could only stay on his knees.

“Are your injuries that funny?” Salem asked.

“Nope. I’m just happy,” Zane replied. “Because I found someone I couldn’t defeat. Someone too strong even for me. Someone that can finally kill me and end my misery.”

“Now that’s the stupidest thing to come out of your mouth, slayer,” Salem said. “I don’t enjoy fighting those that are weaker than me, what makes you think killing them would be any different? What about your family?”

Zane chuckled “I have none. I’m alone. Dragon parent left me. Sold into slavery. Yadda yadda yadda. Inset more to a sob story here.”

Salem dropped his massive axe, cracking the floor. He kneeled in front of Zane. “How many people have you hurt because of your need to prove you are strong?”

“I dunno.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Yes.”

“Running away from your sins doesn’t help anyone. It only makes you a coward.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me, Mr. Wise and Deep, what do you know about that?” Zane asked.

“I know a lot of people died because of me,” Salem said. “People I could have easily saved, but I chose to ignore their plights.”

“Oh, well that sucks,” Zane said.

“It does. I can’t make up for my past actions, but I can still work on the now. I promised myself never to ignore a plea for help,” Salem said as he kept his eyes on Zane, “and right now I see someone that needs it.”

“The hell are you talking about? Do you see me crying for a knight in shining armor to come and rescue me?” good thing his broken body didn’t affect his crude answers.

“I see someone trying to run away from his sins,” Salem said. “Too blinded by his pride to ask for help.”

“Just tell me what you want from me!”

“Rumors of a mage with black fire that eliminated the dark guild Manticore Tail single handed travel fast,” Salem replied. “That info helped me find you. Now that I have I want you to join me and my guild.”

“What? Why would you want someone like me to join your guild?”

"Because you are a perfect fit. It's a group of misfits. Everybody there has their baggage, and they are just the same screw ups as you and I. I may not understand all of your pain, but I know loneliness. Let me give you a place where you can belong. And where you might have the chance to start all over.”

Zane felt speechless. He had no idea what to think after that offering. He had not belonged anywhere since his dragon left him years ago. And only recently did a bit of loneliness left him after making a friend. It was a hard decision, as trust was a word Zane had forgotten about.

The white haired Dragon Slayer stood up. He stretched his unbroken arm to Salem. “Fine, you win. But I am doing this because I want to get a rematch. Next time I’ll kick your ass.”

Salem reached for Zane’s arm. “Of course. Whatever makes you feel better. And Sorry about the arm.”

“Nah, no need for that. Injuries are a part of fighting strong opponents,” Zane said as he held onto that arm to prevent it from moving anymore. “It would have been a piece of cake for you to cause me more serious injuries, but you held back. A lot. You are a true monster. Unlike anything I’ve ever fought before.”

“I told you I only wanted to talk to you. I can do a lot of things that are beyond your power, Pride.”

“Pride?”

“That’s your sin. The Sin of Pride. And your nickname. If you choose to.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. So, should I call you Master?” Zane asked.

"You don't have to call me like that, Zane. Call me Salem," he replied. "We are all family in the guild."

For a second Zane didn't know what to say. Was he really doing this? Was he really joining a new family after spending so much time without one?

“You okay?” Salem just stared at his newest member.

“Uh… Yeah. So, what do you want me to do in your guild?”

“How to explain? A lot of people died because of me, that’s my sin. There is nothing I can do about that. Neither can you about your sins. But I promised that if I could help anyone that needed it then I would do so. What you should do is help those that cannot help themselves, just like you refused because of your pride. And since you suffered at the hands of some guy that used you, preventing that from happening to others is for the best.”

Salem placed his hand on Zane’s shoulder, and gave him a comforting smile. “Pride, just know that we don’t do this to feel better about ourselves, or because the dead will forgive us. The past cannot be changed. But maybe, if we can prevent others from going through the same experience then one day we can forgive ourselves for what we did.”

The Dragon Slayer gulped. It sounded like a hard, if not insurmountable, task. One that would never end. “Sounds hard, but hell, I don’t shy away from any challenge. No matter how big or hard it is,” he shouted, but immediately regretted it as it made his arm hurt. “If I’m Pride, then what’s your sin, or crime, or whatever?”

“I said you can call me Salem, but you can also call me Wrath.”


	2. Sin of Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Next updated chapter will be posted probably next week! See ya then.

It has been a month since the Seven Deadly Sins guild got their last member. And it had been chaotic to say the least. Who would have thought adding an arrogant, battle hungry, volatile Fire Dragon Slayer to a guild full of misfits and screw ups could be a recipe for chaos?

Not everyone was fond or tolerable of Zane’s behavior. He was too reckless, too loud, and his constant boasting about his successful one-man missions was getting annoying. Pride, indeed. Almost all Sins had a bone to pick with him.

It went both ways. During the time he had been a member he was distant toward others. It made them wonder why he had bothered to join in the first place. The only member he spent time with was Salem. Zane had grown close attached to him. In ways that had caught the other members off guard.

Three of the Sins were in the guild hall, the sins of Greed, Sloth, and Envy.

“Peace and quiet. That annoying Dragon Slayer is too loud, somebody should sow his mouth shut,” the man with the jet black hair, Exuro of the Sin of Greed, said. A man that always found faults in everyone. “That brat has a mouth too big for his small, dim brain. It gives me a blasted headache just hearing him.”

The senior to all of the other members, though he cares nothing for that or them. And the oldest member at 42. And of all the Sins he is the farthest from redemption. There was no profit, no gain from redemption. Only being part of the guild because he knew he'd gain something. Power. Despite that he does take care of the guild’s monetary needs, being in charge of the guild’s finance. Who better but the living embodiment of greed for that.

“I hate how he took the spotlight!” The Sin of Envy said. Sakura Iro was a pretty sixteen year old girl. Short in stature, pink hair with two long ponytails, cute face, a tiny fang, and flat chested. And had a pair of cat ears on top of her head. “Salem used to give me all the attention, but now he’s spending all of the time with  _ him _ . And now that that stupid Pride isn’t here, neither is Salem.” She pouted.

“Sakura, would you…be…quiet?” Kuro Iro, the Sin of Sloth, complained. Sakura’s older brother Kuro, walked down the stairs, one barefoot slow step at a time. He dragged with him a big, old pillow as yellow as his blond hair.

“But Onii-chan, I’m just saying!” Sakura complained.

“You are too…loud,” Kuro yawned. His love for his sister was unquestionable, but he hated having his precious sleep interrupted. “Just… shut up about… him.” It was a drag to dislike someone. “Too much...energy.”

Exuro rolled his eyes, he would criticize Zane left and right, but that didn’t mean he liked hearing others complain.

Everybody went silent when they heard the guild master walk into the small guild hall. Every Sin but Exuro prefered to avoid talking about Pride in Wrath’s presence.

“Hey, has anyone seen Pride?” Salem asked.

“Why? You want that brat to even the building by destroying the other wall, too?” Exuro replied.

“That was an accident,” Salem said.

Exuro scoffed, “An accident? You punched him through the wall. You realize every time the guild needs repairs  _ I  _ have to deal with it? That’s my precious time being wasted because of some stupid, uncontrollable boy, and a master that refuses to keep him on a leash.”

“I’m no one's master, Greed. Remember that.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I’m getting tired of having to pick up after him. Like some babysitter. The guild has been damaged more times in this past month than in the previous year put together. We are starting to sound like those Helios Blades guild.”

“I know Greed but—”

“The only bright side, if you can call it that, is that the brat makes up for the damage with the money he brings from his suicidal missions. I guess even a brat can have a use.” Exuro grabbed his fancy cane and stood up, walking away.

“You keep insulting him, but I am sure in the end you’ll end up liking him the most,” Salem said.

He turned, bowing to Salem, “your prowess in foresight is truly hilarious, Salem. May you one day teach such an ability to me.” He walked away.

Sakura jumped onto Salem’s lap. “Yay! Now I can spend some time with you.” It was her opportunity, not only because the Dragon Slayer was absent, but because Lust, Salem’s girlfriend, was also gone. “Can you pet me?”

“Sure,” Salem humored her. “How have you been, Envy?”

She smiled as her master’s hand caressed her silky hair, “I’m good, now that I can spend some time with you.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve been neglecting you, Envy. Had my hands full.”

“I don’t care. The important thing is that you are here with me.”

“Sorry, Envy, but I can’t stay. I am looking for Pride.”

The young girl jumped out of his lap. “Why?! You’ve been spending so much time with dragon boy, did you forget about me?” She turned around, crossing her arms, cheeks puffed.

“I have dedicated time to each and everyone of you equally, Envy,” the Sin of Wrath answered her. “So we can get to know each other, and trust each other. But he’s a special case.”

“Special? More than me?” Sakura pouted.

“Not what I mean. He’s a handful, more so than any of you,” he said. “Pride is reckless, and does things that endanger his life. Of the six of you he’s the only one that actually fought me.”

“...mission,” Kuro said through a deep yawn. “Pride is doing a mission.”

“A mission?” Using the power of hindsight he should have thought about that. The guild master walked up to a cabinet filled with papers about missions. All of them had to fill one out before going on one.

It was easy to look for Zane’s as he always took the most challenging missions. Salem sighed. “Taking on an entire dark guild? Sounds about right. I’ll be back. I need to make sure Pride comes back in one piece.”

Sakura pouted as her master left the guild. She was angry. She needed a distraction. “Onii-chan let’s go on a mission together.”

“Don’t wanna.” Kuro sat on one of the round tables, placed his pillow on top of it, and rested his head on it. When his cheek made contact with the pillow he sighed in delight. A pair of short, stubby horns popped through the shaggy hair.

“Come on. Get off your lazy butt for once and act like the earl you were meant to be,” she said. “Or I’ll go all by myself.”

Kuro sighed in defeat. He had no other choice. Last time he was lazy his sister was placed in mortal danger. Both of them. A terrible situation that cost them a normal life. “Alright. An easy mission.”

“Yay!” The young cat-girl jumped around. She searched for a fun mission to do. “I think this mission could be fun. Let’s go, Onii-chan.”

* * *

“Dark Flame Dragon’s Meteor Fist!” Zane punched a member of the dark guild with his flaming fist, knocking him unconscious.

“What is it with this brat that he won’t stay down?!” The captain said. “There are twenty of us and one of him.” There  _ were _ twenty, already a few of them had been beaten.

“Numbers don’t win battles, idiot,” Zane said. His breathing was fast, while his face was covered in wounds, dirt and sweat. “You guys are not worthy!. Dark Flame Dragon’s Wing Attack!” The slayer sent two other foes slamming into trees with a whirlwind of fire.

“You little brat.” One dark guild mage jumped from behind him with a dagger in hand, ready to pierce the neck of the slayer. “Your little game is over.”

Just as the dagger was inches away from the slayer’s neck it was blocked by a massive battle axe; the dagger bounced off of his hand. The guy’s hand vibrated due to the impact. “The hell?”

“Can’t let you do that,” Salem said as he rested the heavy ax on his shoulder.

“Who the hell is this guy?” The dark mage asked.

“S-Salem?” Zane gulped, his fierce and confident demeanour turned nervous, as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

“Salem!” Flying off a tree branch was a young, small, ball of golden fur with a pair of angelic wings. Zane’s closest friend, Atticus the Exceed. “I tried to warn Zane about taking the mission but he wouldn’t listen!” The Exceed landed on Salem’s bare shoulder.

Salem smiled at the Exceed, patting the top of his head. “Pride, this mission is of S-class difficulty. You need my permission to do it,” the Sin of Wrath said, “and you need to do them in pairs.” Six Sins, three pairs. Salem was the only one strong enough to do them single-handed.

“I know, but, Greed didn’t care when I gave him the form,” Zane said.

_ I should have known.  _ “That’s no excuse. The decent thing for you to do is come to me before taking this kind of mission.”

Zane dropped his shoulder. “Sorry, jeez. I’m not used to asking for permission. Much less to take a challenge.”

“What the hell? These two must be very confident to ignore us.” The same dark guild member from prior picked up the dagger and dashed at Salem.

“Did that talking cat say Salem?” The captain asked himself. He only knew of one mage called like that. “Wait, you idiot! He’s too strong for you.”

“I’m gonna kill you. Then I’m gonna slice the brat’s neck open—”

The man found himself smashed into the ground by a punch from Salem. The impact created a wide crater, and made the ground around them shake.

“You don’t threaten to harm any of my Sins in front of me.” The smile that the Sins’ master had had vanished into a frown.

“Damn, no mercy,” the Dragon Slayer whispered.

“That imbecile. He should have listened to me,” the captain swallowed hard as he could sense Salem’s ridiculous power. “So, you are the guild master of this brat? That independent guild that has been the talk of every dark guild for months.”

“So you’ve heard of us. I assume you’ve heard of me, too, right?” Salem asked.

“Yeah. Most dark guilds alliance have been warned about you, specifically,” the captain answered. “That includes our guild master.”

“Oi, boss. If this is that Salem guy, isn’t there a large bounty for his head?” One member asked him.

“You want to try and aim for that reward, go ahead. But you already saw what he can do.”

The guild member said nothing more.

_Damn it, that Dragon Slayer was already troublesome enough, but with this monster there is just no way_. The captain had to make a rather embarrassing decision. “We don’t want any more problems with your guild. As I said, our master said not to mess with you, if it was avoidable. Can we avoid any more problems?”

“Stay away from my guild,” Salem said. There was a clear “or else” in there too. “Let’s go, Pride.”

“What? But the mission!” Zane argued.

“The mission is over, Pride. We are going back to the guild.”

Zane bit his bottom lip, his fangs threatening to pierce the skin. “Damn it. Fine. But then you’ll have to help me vent my frustrations, on you for interrupting my battle!”

Salem stopped abruptly. He turned his head to look at Zane behind his shoulder, his left eye locked onto him. “Zane, enough. We have rules and you are to follow them.” The ground around them, the trees, the flowers, all started to shake as Salem became covered in a potent aura of raw magic. “You promised to follow them when you joined. I expect you to keep your promise.”

Zane’s eyes were wide as he witnessed this simple yet incredible display of might. The magic his master was showing here was greater than what he had shown him during their battle. No wonder he’s a Wizard Saint. ‘Y-Yeah, Salem.”

When Salem noticed the surprise in Zane’s eyes his magic show ceased immediately, everything went back to normal. “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He faced the front again and continued walking.

“Scared, nah, don’t worry about it.” Zane was sweating, but he had a wide grin. This man was so strong it was quite unfair. But that would only make his eventual victory over him all the more worth it.  _ I promise you, Salem. I’ll have your knees looking up at me. _

How would he do that? Well, the Dragon Slayer has not exactly thought about that yet. But it would come to him sooner or later.

Zane and Atticus walked behind their guild master. The slayer had been silent the entire trip back to the guild. Despite their small chit chat from earlier the Dragon Slayer was still angry at being interrupted. He murmured under his breath, kicked rocks and sticks.

The patient Salem took a deep breath before breaking the silence. “Pride, do you want to spar with me?”

That startled the Dragon Slayer. “Say again?”

“I assume you are still itching for a fight after interrupting your mission,” Salem said. “Do you want to spar with me to pass the time?”

Honey for Zane’s ears. “Damn right I do.” Without the slightest hesitation Zane dashed at his guild master to throw a flaming fist at him.

_ You always charge forward. Never hesitating. No matter how strong your opponent. Why? To prove you are not afraid? Or…? _

Salem blocked the attack with his forearm. He struck Zane on the back with the side of his right knuckle. His crazy physical strength slammed Pride into the ground. “Maybe I should take it easier on you.”

The ground beneath Salem started to shake. “Huh?” He looked down and saw as the ground began to bubble. Then a large eruption of black fire sent the Dragon Slayer up into the sky. “Smart use of your Roar.”

“You take it easy on me and you’ll get burned.” Zane fired a stream of dark flames from his hands that spiraled together as they headed towards Salem. “Dark Flame Dragon’s Spiraling Ember!”

Salem swung his axe just as the attack got close enough, the blades sliced the attack, cancelling it. But just as the attack disappeared and cleared his view Salem saw a Zane falling down straight at him, hands together and cloaked in flames. Zane slammed them on his head.

The spectating Exceed gasped. “He hit Salem.”

The slayer had a proud grin on face. He had finally hit him. “You might be able to cancel my magic but that axe is heavy enough to slow you down even with your strength. That one second is all I needed.”

“Good thinking. Most people are too worried about their magic being nullified to figure that out,” Wrath said.

As happy as he was to finally hit his powerful master, Zane knew that attack probably tickled him. “Sparring or not, I’ll not let you take it easy on me. Dark Flame Dra—”

Salem’s speed overwhelmed the Dragon Slayer, in a blink he was standing a few paces in front of him, axe ready to slice him. “If that’s what you want,” he said before swinging the axe at his Sin.

Zane grabbed the handle of the weapon, but the force behind it was still great enough that it dug his feet into the ground. A drop of nervous sweat separated the axe’s blade from the tip of his small nose.

From a tree branch a horrified Exceed could do nothing but look on. He sighed in relief as his friend managed to stop the axe from slicing him in half. “Zane, why can’t you just enjoy the sparring. I know you’ll get yourself hurt, even when Salem doesn’t want that to happen.”

While Atticus was worried for Zane’s safety, Zane was more worried about the humiliation.  _ Ridiculous! He’s not even trying and yet I am barely able to stop the axe.  _ Zane couldn’t believe how heavy the axe felt. If Salem were to let go of it it would probably crush him under its own weight.

Zane was used to overcoming his lack of physical strength by using his agility, but that wouldn’t work against someone much faster than him. That only served to infuriate him more.

“What’s wrong? A little too hot for you?”

_ I am going to make you eat those words.  _ What Zane did caught the mighty Salem off guard. He released the axe.

“Shit,” Salem swore as he lost control of the axe. Without Zane holding on to it the weapon swung down. The battleaxe pierced the ground, making a large and deep crack. The blade was covered in blood, lots of it. He looked at Zane and saw the terrible wound the axe caused him. A deep wound right where the left arm was connected to the shoulder. The Sin of Pride was bleeding rapidly. His shirt was turning red. “Pride, I’m—”

“Dark Flame Dragon’s Sword Horn!” Zane headbutted Salem, hitting him with a blazing heabutt on the nose. It actually knocked him on his rear.

While Salem was horrified to see the terrible wound he caused Zane, the Dragon Slayer was wearing a smug smirk. “Told ya. If you take it easy on me you’ll get…burn…” He dropped to the floor, unconscious. The cold ground getting painted over in red.

“Zane!” The Exceed quickly flew from the tree branch to his friend’s side. “Zane. Zane! What did you do? You’re supposed to be his guild master!” The accusing eyes of the blonde cat pierced right through Salem’s heart. “He’s bleeding a lot.”

That only served to increase the guilt more. Salem stood up, wiped the blood coming down from his nose, without saying anything he grabbed the bleeding Sin of Pride. He ran back into the guild, leaving the Exceed behind.

_ I think I figured it out.  _ Salem thought.

* * *

“Here, neko neko. Here, neko neko,” Sakura shouted, her voice echoing as it bounced from the many trees that made up the deep woods. “Come here, neko neko.”

“Sakura, you are being too loud.” Kuro was resting under the shade of a tree, his back leaning comfortably on the smooth surface of the trunk.

“I’m calling for the cat, Onii-chan,” she said. “You know, the mission? Looking for the pet of that old lady? Which you are supposed to be helping me with.”

Kuro rubbed his sleepy eyes. “Couldn’t we have done an easier mission?”

Easier than looking for a cat? That was lazy even for his standards.

“You are not going to get up your butt to help me?”

“I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

“Stupid, lazy brother!” She stuck her tongue out, then started to walk away.

Kuro was falling asleep. “I’ll be with you in a few—” his sister’s screams woke him up. “Sakura?” When his sister was in danger he stopped being lazy. He immediately ran after her.

He found her lying on the floor, trapped under some sort of net. “Sakura!”

“Wait Onii-chan.” But she wasn’t able to warn him in time. When he touched the net he was electrocuted. The shock tumbled him down. “Are you okay?” She asked him.

“I should be the one asking that.” Part of his body was numbed, but other than that he was well. “What happened? Who did this to you?”

“I’ve finally found you, my children.”

That voice was something neither sibling would ever forget. It sent chills down both of their spines. “You?”

An old man came out from the shadows. He was old, past his fifties. His gray hair was untidy. His white, mage robes were old and tattered. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, children?”

“What do you want with us?” Kuro asked as he was standing up, ready to fight if necessary. However, as soon as he moved a muscle he found himself trapped in a net, too. He could feel his powers not answering him. “Sealstone?!”

“Come on, my boy. You think I would come unprepared when you possess that nifty magic of yours?” The man said. “After all, I gave it to you after weeks of long, hard work.”

“What do you want with us?!” Sakura cried.

“Well, to get my children back, of course,” the man answered matter-of-fact. “I’ve come to take you back home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the story and giving me a chance to entertain you. Hope you liked it, please let me know if you did so, or if you have any questions! I'll upload new chapters soon enough.


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